Iraq's Interior Ministry has launched an investigation into claims that a police death squad has been operating in the country, a top official said Thursday. Attacks around the country killed at least 19 people, including six Iraqis in a car bombing and three sheiks in a drive-by shooting. Iraq Prime Minister Ibrahim al-Jaafari also condemned the latest images of detainees abused in the U.S.-run Abu Ghraib prison in 2003, but noted that those responsible had already been punished.The investigation into the death squads was announced as police found the bodies of 12 more men who had been shot execution-style and dumped in three different areas of Baghdad's predominantly Shiite suburb of Shula.Maj. Gen. Hussein Kamal, Iraq's deputy interior minister in charge of domestic intelligence, said the investigation followed U.S. military claims that soldiers had detained 22 Iraqi men wearing police uniforms who were about to kill a Sunni Arab man last month.... http://www.usatoday.com

Alzheimer's disease progresses more rapidly in highly educated people, research suggests. It is thought high levels of education may ward off Alzheimer's by helping the brain better tolerate damaging changes. But the latest study, involving 312 Alzheimer's patients, suggests once accumulated damage reaches a critical level, decline is relatively swift. The study, by New York's Columbia University, features in the Journal of Neurology Neurosurgery and Psychiatry. The researchers monitored 312 people aged 65 and older who had been diagnosed with Alzheimer's for five years. Each patient underwent a battery of tests to assess their neurological function. Overall mental agility declined every year among all the patients. ...http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/health/4713570.stm

Four police officers were shot Thursday as they tried to serve a federal drug warrant on a home in southwest Dallas. One officer was in serious condition with a gunshot wound to the head, Dallas Police Lt. Rick Watson said. The others were in fair condition at Parkland Memorial Hospital. The officers had approached the home in an armored personnel carrier, Watson said. When they announced the raid over a loudspeaker, someone inside the home started shooting, he said. ...http://www.usatoday.com/news/nation/2006-02-16-dallas_x.htm?csp=34

The US secretary of state is seeking new funds for a policy aimed at putting pressure on Iran's government and promoting internal opposition to it. Condoleezza Rice asked Congress for $75m to increase TV and radio broadcasts and fund dissident groups. Correspondents say the move comes amid US fears that the world community will not countenance tough action over Iran's nuclear ambitions. Critics of the US plan say the funds are not enough to make a difference. Former Clinton administration official Martin Indyk told the Washington Post newspaper that the groups the US wants to fund have little support on the ground and have been unable to challenge the Islamic government in Iran. Ms Rice is planning to visit the Middle East next week to discuss the Iranian issue with regional leaders. ...http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/americas/4719890.stm

The abuse that haunts Russia's military is rooted in a society plagued by crime & declining moral values, Defense Minister Sergei Ivanov said Wed, seeking to shift blame from the armed forces following a horrific hazing incident that left an 18 year old private crippled for life. Ivanov speaking in the lower parliament house, where he answered questions focused on military abuse, a persistent problem cast into the spotlight by the ordeal of Andrei Sychev. The conscript had his legs and genitals amputated as a result of abuse at the hands of older soldiers at a tank academy in the Ural Mountains city of Chelyabinsk over New Year's. "Yes, there was an outrageous occurrence that prompted the well founded indignation of all clear thinking people. Yes, unfortunately crimes and incidents occur in the military, and we are not evading responsibility," Ivanov said. "But it's impossible not to note that they occur at least in part because the armed forces are part of Russian society as a whole" ...http://abcnews.go.com/International/wireStory?id=1621492&CMP=OTC-RSSFeeds0312

New Hampshire's state computer system was breached, possibly by a hacker seeking residents' credit card numbers, Gov. John Lynch said Wednesday. The breach involved online and in-person transactions in various locations, including motor vehicle offices and state liquor stores. "We felt it was important to alert the public that there is at least the possibility that some credit card information may have been accessed," Lynch said. No reports of illegal activity have been reported, but officials asked people who used credit cards with the state in the last six months to report suspicious purchases. State information technology experts became aware of the breach Wednesday when they discovered illegal software in the system. The software, which may have been installed for six months, allows a hacker to watch transactions in real time, officials said....http://abcnews.go.com/US/wireStory?id=1625084